The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) proposes to develop and deploy a turnkey digital retrofit for legacy foundry operations for implementation at Rock Island Arsenal, enabling real-time process monitoring and operator feedback during metal pouring.
Problem
Foundry operations rely heavily on operator skill. Key variables such as melt temperature and pour speed are seldom measured or monitored, leading to variability and increased scrap.
Proposed Solution
The team will demonstrate a digital retrofit at the Rock Island Arsenal foundry using a sensor-based monitoring and operator feedback system that captures and displays critical pour parameters in real time. The system will alert operators when limits are exceeded, improving consistency and enabling data-driven process control.
Impact
By linking simulations with production data, this technology will close the loop between modeling and operations, offering a scalable, cost-effective solution for legacy foundries seeking measurable quality improvement without full automation. Rock Island Arsenal provides a representative DoD production environment, ensuring results are transferable across government and industry foundries.
Project Awarded
December 5, 2025
Project Number
24-12-05
Project Lead
MxD
Project Participants
The Ohio State University Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME)
Endurance Engineering
